The 10th Fetter pairs with the 2nd Fetter of doubt which makes it relevant to be acquainted with, even while working with the lower fetters.

A belief is nothing but a thought. And doubt is when two conflicting beliefs are present at the same time. Essentially, one thought is followed by a contradictory thought, which is followed by an alternate contradictory thought, again and again. And each one feels true, and plausible, and brings a cascade of sensations through the body that reinforce the apparent relevance and truth of that lone thought.

Consequently, all beliefs (as well as other types of thoughts) have a root in the ability to know something to be true. And their stickiness is due to the feelings that make them seem tangible. And this feeling contributes to the fiction that we can truly know the truth about anything. But we cannot.

As soon as you accept one belief as truth, then two conflicting beliefs you also accept as truth will cause doubt and confusion.

In the 10th fetter we release all of that because not only have we realized that there is no one to know anything, we now can acknowledge, accept and understand that we can never know anything to be truth, since no one ever has all of the relevant information to determine what is or is not.

With the 10th fetter we learn to live in the freedom of ambiguity. It’s okay to not know. It’s okay to never be able to come down on any side of any argument. It’s okay to let go of the need to understand so that we feel a sense of safety by knowing what is true, and that we stand on firm ground. We don’t. And we can let go and fully relax into this wisdom.

Enjoy